Listen to this inspiring talk by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen about the importance of adoration.
BOO! Since Halloween is quickly approaching, I thought I would write about a deadly disease that’s scarier than the Ebola virus — a disease that has infected hundreds of millions of people worldwide. While everyone should be afraid of this disease, very few people seem to care about it. If they had full knowledge of its devastating consequences, they would be petrified and would wear the equivalent of a hazmat suit to protect themselves from the disease.
It’s that time of year again. Halloween is right around the corner and a lot of people are scared. Our so-called leaders walk around as though they are zombies whose purpose is to destroy our nation. Every decision they make is the exact opposite of what a reasonable, rational person would decide. What’s even scarier is the sheep-like behavior of the masses who wander about, clueless as to what’s going on around them.
Last week while I was on my way to a court hearing, I stepped onto an elevator to go up to the floor where the courtroom was located. When I got on the elevator, there were five other individuals inside, one of whom was talking on her cell phone. As the elevator doors closed, the woman said, “I’m in an elevator so if I lose you, I’ll call you back.”
There’s a scene in the movie Ocean’s Eleven, when after being released from prison, Danny Ocean (portrayed by George Clooney) tracks down his ex-wife, Tess (portrayed by Julia Roberts). Although Danny is still in love with Tess, she no longer has any feelings for him and is romantically involved with Terry Bennedict, a wealthy, ruthless owner of three casinos in Las Vegas.
According to Dorothea Brande, author of the book, Wake Up and Live, the most important success secret she has ever discovered is to “[A]ct as if it were impossible to fail, and it shall be.” From a business perspective, I can tell you that in my 31 years of practicing law and working with numerous business owners, Brande’s “secret” really is one of the true principles of success in the business world.
Last week, I published an Adoration Meditation article — “Harnessing the Power of Fear” — that focused on two types of fear, servile fear and filial fear. You can find the article in the adoration chapel or online at Adoration.com. If you haven’t read it, I would recommend that you do so. There’s a good chance you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what is says about a prayer that you memorized when you were in second grade.
There’s a prayer that we learned when we were in second grade that we recite every time we receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Despite our familiarity with the prayer, most of us aren’t aware of the hidden meaning of the prayer. I’m referring to the Act of Contrition which begins with the following sentence:
Earlier this month, at the age of 81, Joan Rivers passed away. I first became familiar with Rivers in the 1970s, during my high school years. I was a fan of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and Rivers was selected by Carson to fill in for him whenever he was gone from his television show. Back then, there were only two female comedians who had any notoriety: Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers.
If you’re over the age of 40, you remember a time when most homes had a telephone connected to a wall in the kitchen and a second telephone that sat on a nightstand in the master bedroom. Both phones were connected to the same telephone line (what is now referred to as a “landline”).
Recently my daughter Maria purchased a write-it-yourself children’s book for her four-year-old daughter, Grace. The book came with some stickers of characters you would see in an animated movie about a castle and a royal family. The characters included a king, queen, princess, wizard, town jester, and prince in shining armor.